“Getting fights for Thomas is a thankless task, no-one seems to want to fight him, but this kid from Scotland is game.

“But, in my view, Thomas is the best flyweight out there and I expect him to go all the way to the top.

“I have every confidence he will be keeping the belt in Sunderland and if he does then I’ll be looking to stage a defence at the Summer Rumble at the Stadium of Light in July.”

Butcher will prove a formidable opponent.

The 23-year-old, from Motherwell, is a former British and Commonwealth flyweight title challenger and won the WBO European fly belt in late 2013.

Butcher has just returned to the ring after a 10-month absence by winning in Glasgow last month – ironically with a 60-54 win over Tasimov.

Essomba clinched the same scoreline on the undercard of the Tommy Ward v Robbie Turley British super-bantamweight title eliminator. “Thomas is a class act and this was a very good warm-up,” added Jeffries.